Alabama and LSU made things difficult for opposing offenses last season—they made it miserable for each other’s offenses last season.

More of the same is expected in 2012.

The two teams that played for the BCS national championship—Alabama beat LSU, 21-0—placed four players apiece on the Bednarik Award watch list released Monday.

The award is given annually to the nation’s top defensive player since 1995. LSU cornerback Tyrann Mathieu won the award last year and will try to join Northwestern’s Pat Fitzgerald and Penn State’s Paul Posluszny as the only two-time winners of the award by winning it again this season.

Mathieu is joined on the watch list by teammates Barkevious Mingo (DE), Sam Montgomery (DE) and Eric Reid (S).

Mathieu isn’t the only semifinalist to return to the watch list. Kansas State LB Arthur Brown, Notre Dame LB Manti Te’o and Stanford LB Chase Thomas are also on it again.

Alabama’s four players on the list are LB Nico Johnson, LB C.J. Mosley, CB Robert Lester and DT Jesse Williams.

Michigan State also placed four players on the list, while FSU, Virginia Tech, USC and Texas each had three.

Semifinalists will be announced Oct. 29 and three finalists will be named Nov. 19. The winner will be named at the Dec. 6 Home Depot ESPNU College Football Awards Show.